Mom blows $40,000 on daughter’s bedroom

As kids we all had crazy ideas about what we wanted our bedrooms to look like. Maybe you dreamed of sleeping in a fantastical princess bed below a canopy of lace or maybe you drew pictures of the clubhouse you wished your dad would build in your bedroom or of the unicorn you wanted painted on a rainbow-colored wall. Or maybe you just wanted a room of your own where you could tape a Duran Duran poster up on the wall without being teased by an older sister.

Extreme Makeover / ABC

A $60,000 pirate-themed kid’s room on ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover.’

Usually, these dreams never come true because hiring a carpenter to build a castle in a little’s boys room is expensive and your parents were probably pinching pennies to save for college or simply trying to get food on the table.

But for the kids recently featured in ABC’s “Extreme Room Makeover,” there seems to be no limit on the amount mom and dad are willing to spend to turn a kid’s room into a magical wonderland.

The show offers a peek inside a $60,000 pirate-themed bedroom complete with a pirate ship, rope bridge, and crow’s nest. The custom mural with mermaids frolicking in the water cost $15,000 alone.

And then there’s Julie Spangler, a Minnesota mom who spent close to $40,000 on her daughter’s room.

The murals: $10,000.

The mosaic bench: $2,700.

The playroom furniture: $1,700.

The custom butterfly chandelier: $1,200.

“It was an opportunity for me to create a fantasy room for her…a girl’s dream come true of a bedroom,” Spangler said.

What would child psychologists have to say about all of this? “They might say this causes a sense of entitlement,” says ABC anchor Lara Spencer.

Want to see how Bay Area parents are getting creative and decorating their kids’ rooms on a budget? Check out our Kids’ Rooms photo gallery.